I don't LIKE it.

In 2019 Instagram responded to public concerns that their "like" feature was having a negative impact on the mental health of users and creating unnecessary societal pressures, particularly for impressionable young people. It is/was not uncommon for young users to seek validation via the popularity of their posts as it was indicated by this feature. As is human nature, the impulse to compare was drawing users to look to other profiles and size themselves up accordingly. Instagram responded by removing the feature in six cities during a trial run. While a noble experiment that signaled care and concern for its users, the initiative gave cause for marketers and influencers to go scrambling. Without the "like" feature, does Instagram lose its marketing power or improve authentic, organic connections with consumers?

It is generally undisputed across influencers and marketers that engagement has decreased since the experiment began. Tangential impact from reduced engagement has been how a poster understands the success of their content and gains performance satisfaction. While previous posts may have received a flood of acknowledgment, reduced engagement is causing posters to reassess quality of content by different standards. One influencer spoke to a lack of motivation as a result. ""Now there's no audience applause at the end of a performance. It's kind of like crickets in the background."

While disappointing, the elimination of this KPI will likely cause voices on social media to pay closer attention to who their audiences are, what they respond to, and how to best meet the needs their followers came to them for in the first place. Likes, until this point, have been the easiest data point for validating performance and value. "Likes are the currency of social media," Blake-Crawford said. "It's going to separate influencers who have trigger-happy followers ... versus the ones who have a real connection with their audience and have the trust element." Social media has taken off largely because it has been a glimpse behind the proverbial emerald curtain. It has allowed users to get to know brands and personalities at a level that feels more accessible and authentic. Perhaps the removal of LIKES will be the best thing to happen to them.